Summer is Almost Here

Where do you see yourself in 8 months and 3 days? Starting your 2014 Summer internship is the correct answer.
It may seem far away, especially since you're probably just now getting settled into the start of Fall semester, but trust me, the older you get, the faster time goes. May 2014 will be here in 9 weeks and you will be walking around like George Michael Bluth.

So get to work. Now.

Things to think about: 
1. What do I want to be doing this time next year?
2. Where do I want to be?
3. What do I need to do to get there?

I'll Drink To That

Cheers to the weekend! It may be a bit early to be talking about booze, so let's this pretend this blog post is a mimosa or Bloody Mary, which, for some reason, are more acceptable to drink before noon than a scotch on the rocks.

The conversation about advertising and alcohol can be a bit touchy. There are so many rules, restrictions and reasons we probably shouldn't advertise it at all.

Should you put alcohol ads in your book? 

1. Is this alcohol ad freaking awesome enough to go in your book?
(This is what you should be asking for everything you consider putting on your site: "Is it awesome?" Visit Awesome-or-Awful for help testing your ideas. Hash tag shameless plug.)  

2. Is this alcohol ad freaking awesome (and legal) enough to run in real life?

The whole point of creating a portfolio is to show that you know what's up. That you know how to think strategically and find creative solutions for brands and how the advertising industry works. Your ads needs to look like they're ready to go live tomorrow. So, make sure you show that you understand the category and the way the brands live in our world.

So the answer is Yes, But. YES, you can put an alcohol ad in your book, BUT it better be amazing and it better abide by the industry regulations.

When in doubt, do a responsible drinking or don't-drink-and-drive PSA instead. Everybody loves a good PSA. And seriously, it better be damn good.

Since it's 5 o' clock in Prague now, I think it's safe for us to look at some alcohol ads.
Check out Copyranter's list of The Best of The Great Absolut Ads. See all 55 here.
Below are a few of my favs.

That's Not My Name

"Can I just call you Jane?" A teacher at the boarding school she went to in Zimbabwe my friend Tsungai when she was younger.
asked

That's not your name, I said, appalled. It had taken me a good six or seven tries (and another 3 in the mirror when I got home) to pronounce Tsungai correctly - soon-ghee (hard g like in guess) btw. I was determined to call her by the name her parents had chosen for her.

I was reminded by this struggle last weekend at AdColor - where some of the most fabulous

What To Say To Upset Your Boss (And Oprah)

"That's not my job." - This is number 15 on the list of 17 Things You Should Never Say To Your Boss and Number 3 of my Seriously, Someone Said That?? list.

Are you kidding me? There is a time and place for everything. But there is never a time you should say "That's not my job." Not to your boss. Actually, not to anyone. If you're on a team and you're getting paid to get things done, then you need to get things done.

Between work and teaching, I've heard quite a few things that have made me snatch my pearls. Here's my list, with reactions from Her Holiness, Oprah.

Inspiration: 80 Creative Ads + 3 Reasons You Should Care

I try to post something inspirational at least once a week. Actually, inspirational isn’t the right aspirational. The things I post with the tag “inspiration” should be looked at as awesome creative you should aspire to creative. Things you should want to do, and do even better.
word – it’s not a Mother Theresa quote –  I guess I more so mean

Creatives should constantly be looking at ads. Good ads, bad ads, current ads, old ads, foreign ads. Seeing what others have done and how they’ve done it is crucial to your growth as a copywriter/art director.

Why? Because it makes you better.

When you’re looking at ads, keep these 3 things in mind:

What Works: What about this is good? Can you see what the concept is? And how it comes

How to Not Get Hired in 140 Characters or Less.

Watch what you say on social media because employers are looking, listening and crossing people off their lists.  [111]

I've written before about Developing A Split Personality that separates most of your personal life and your professional. This is not a hard-and-fast rule, but it's my opinion. And my suggestion. 

In this article, 1 in 10 Young Job Hunters Rejected Because Of Their Social Media, they say "91% of hiring managers used social networking sites to screen prospective employees. About 69% had rejected candidates for what they found."

Holy crap. 

Time to readjust your Facebook, Twitter and Instagram privacy settings. 

Once you're finished with that, here are some junior copywriter, art director and designer jobs to apply to: